The Darkest Shadow
by Wintterzz
Summary: {On hold as I work on my other story, Blood in the Sand, Sorry! D:}
1. Chapter 1 - Corruption

**A/N: Hey guys just a couple notes I wanna drop in before you read. While for the most part I will try to make this as canon to the lore as possible, there will more often than not be times I drift away from what is and isn't canon in the lore to make my own story. However, If there are any glaring issues feel free to point them out! (As well as grammar mistakes D:) I wouldn't mind a beta reader of sorts for grammar and ideas to bounce off of as well. I love to hear your thoughts, good or bad so if you could drop a review that would be awesome!**

 **Anyways hope you enjoy.  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Corruption**

Wrapping the robes around her tighter to block out the cold, High Councilor Vessaria Kolminye strode down the halls of the institute late at night. Even though the hallways lit up as she walked through, she noticed that the usual brightness of the lanterns seemed to be swallowed up by shadow, as if the darkness had a life of its own. She followed the stairs down into the darkest parts of the institute, eventually finding herself standing before the door of one of many sealed crypts. The glyphs of the door that kept the crypt sealed were faded out and the double doors were slightly ajar. Several rays of light escaped through the cracks of the door and slowly she pushed the door the rest of the way open to see another member of the institute inside staring at a shattered nexus fragment. The shards of crystal strewn around the room emanated a slow pulsating light that, dimmed with each breath. The room was otherwise shrouded in a dark black though the darkness was eerily alive, dark mist seeming rising from the shadows of the room. Vessaria took her place beside the figure in the room.

"Contact the major city states Ryze, the situation just got a lot worse." Vessaria let out a long sigh. "Nocturne has broken free."

* * *

Irelia was sure she wasn't the only one who felt the scene was odd. All around the main hall of the institute were members of every faction. Renowned figures from Demacia, Noxus and even Bandle City. the members in attendance were visiting from all across Runeterra. Seeing different figures under the Institute's roof was not rare, what was truly disconcerting was the focused and agreeable attitude everyone was in. Normally, these type of summons at the institute ended up in a shouting match. There had even been raised tensions between allies like Ionia and Demacia at these meetings.

"Wonder how long the pleasantries are going to last. The enemy of my enemy is my friend...I suppose." Irelia muttered to herself.

"I guess that saying could apply to this situation, shame really, how it is the worst events that will bring out the peace between enemies here." Karma had surprised Irelia with her statement, who thought she was alone.

Irelia composed herself. "I don't suppose you care to elaborate about the situation, everyone seems to be very vague about this _corruption_ situation going around."

Karma raised an eyebrow. "I suppose you wouldn't know too much since you've been travelling around for the past several months. Any luck with searching for your brother by the way?" Karma turned to look at Irelia for a response but noticed her friend was looking off in the distance with a scowl on her face. "Still no luck I see, anyways, the corruption as they are calling it, is a series of incidents that are popping up more and more frequently and in greater severity. At first it was just one person affected here and there, but lately it's been affecting larger amount of targets. This 'corruption', which I guess is the best way to describe it, is when a seemingly normal healthy person is suddenly turned and filled with a uncontrollable bloodlust and rage. Their body changes into one that is half cast in a dark shadow and filled with abnormal strength, which makes their bloodlust all that more problematic. They are unable to be reasoned with and do not respond when called out to, casualties have been increasing rapidly." Karma continued to describe the corruption to Irelia as they started walking, as they had been summoned to the meeting room.

"Do we know why they are being...corrupted...or whatever this is?" Irelia questioned

Karma paused in thought before replying. "We know it's being caused by a new faction or group, powered by an unknown entity, their purpose is unclear besides mass chaos at the moment. What is really terrifying is that the corruption can be spread to someone as easily as a touch of the hand. There was a report that stated a boy was seen in a Demacian town shaking hands with an unknown figure that was visiting the town. Several days later the boy turned and killed many in the town, only a few witnesses survived.

"What happened to the boy, was he eventually killed by the guards or did he escape?" Irelia asked

"He died, but was not killed, the boy was young and the corruption seemed to be too much for the boy's body to handle, people described it as if the boy's body started to disintegrate and eventually turned to ash."

Irelia ran her hands through her hair as she spoke. "This world is still a grim one eh? Do we know how the corruption takes control?"

"The corruption is probably best described in terms of yin and yang."

"How so, the corruption affects the balance of the soul?" Irelia questioned

"Yes generally, the corruption seems to overload either the yin or yang in your soul so that one is completely dominate over the other. With this extreme imbalance you go into an overloaded state where your mind is most vulnerable and you delve into madness." Karma shrugged her shoulders. "Well that is what we surmise so far, we don't have any good evidence, all the subjects that are corrupted end up dying when trying to be subjugated by the guards, disappear after causing their havoc and before anyone arrives to try and capture them or the bodies break down as they cannot hold the corruption any longer, like in the boy's case. Fortunate for champions such as you or me, we seem to be resistant to most corruption attempts...even those who would seem to be easy to corrupt, like those with more...violent tendencies"

Karma said the last line as she eyed the Noxian, Darius, as he entered the meeting room. They both followed him in and found seats in the room that housed around hundred other important figures that all sat down waiting for the meeting to start.

* * *

As they meeting went on High Councilor Vessaria ending up repeating a lot of what Karma had told Irelia. The room was oddly quiet, the thought of friends and loved ones potentially turning against them kept a lot of people's mouths closed. Although many of those in the room had seen violence in their time, it was different when you fought someone under another factions banner versus one of your own.

"As most of you know." Vessaria broke a momentary silence in the meeting. "For you in this room and all champions around Runeterra like you, being corrupted is rarely if ever successful. Reports of attempts of corruption on champions have been stated. Garen if you would." Vessaria motioned for Garen to speak.

Garen let out an audible sigh and stretched his neck before he began. "Recently during a ceremony to honor those who have fought, and are still fighting, in the Demacian military an old lady approached me. She asked to shake my hand to show her thanks for my service, even saying her son had served under me. I, thinking nothing of it, obliged her. As soon as she took my hand, I knew something was wrong. A black mist seemed to enveloped her hand and soon around mine as well, I started to feel something...like a terrible darkness in my mind, voices spoke in my head, they spoke of death and murder. I collapsed to the ground as the old woman slipped away in the crowd. Luckily Xin Zhao was near and came to my side and I was able to force whatever was speaking inside my head away." Garen finished, obviously feeling uncomfortable revealing a weak moment before Noxians in the room. Irelia glanced over to where Darius and Katarina were sitting. Darius had the slightest smirk on his face as expected, but Katarina didn't have her typical antagonistic grin, rather a worried and more concerned look on her face. Irelia raised an eyebrow but decided not to think too much about it.

Vessaria thanked Garen as she continued on. "It seems that those with the a certain amount of strength or power can resist the influence of the corruption ability that is inflicted from these 'acolytes' of this new group. Whatever, or whomever, is giving this power to these acolytes, cannot give them enough power to corrupt everyone. My fear is that if this entity that is the cause of the spreading corruption grows in power or has a chance to single out a champion that the entity with its own power may have a greater chance of corrupting one of you."

"So what, one of those weak Demacians gets corrupted, I'd have no trouble taking my axe to them." Darius spat out.

"Yes Darius, we know, but what if it was Draven, would you be so keen to put down your own brother." Vessaria countered

"Even if my brother were so weak to get corrupt...I would put him down myself." Darius finished his outburst, his voice trailing off near the end. The room grew silent having to kill a family member or even just a close friend was terrifying, even for the likes of the merciless Hand of Noxus.

"Do we have any idea of their source of power or who is supporting them?" Ashe spoke up from the corner of the room.

Vessaria sighed but continued on. "Kassadin has reported unusual movement from the void, it is possible Malzahar and other void forces could be aiding this group."

"What about this entity you speak of, who is giving these people the power to corrupt innocents?" Ashe continued to press the high councilor.

Vessaria took a moment before speaking, thinking to herself; _'Here goes the hope for a calm and peaceful discussion.'_ "Before calling you all here we discovered that...Nocturne broke free. It is also possible he has been providing the power to corrupt to this group. It appears he was able to break the seals placed on him to suppress his power long before actually escaping free completely from the prison. His power could have been seeping out for awhile now."

Irelia left the room soon after Vessaria's last statement, as expected tension finally broke and the room erupted in argument, blame directed at the institute eventually derailed into blame onto one another. As Irelia walked through the halls she closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead as it ached in pain. She bumped into someone and quickly turned around to apologize.

"Ah, sorry" Irelia said as she shot a glance at the man she ran into. The black haired man was much taller than she, he had a scar running down his right eye and cheek, she guessed the man was around her age, maybe even a bit younger. He was dressed in the typical instute guard uniform. Irelia realized she was staring a little bit too long and continued on her way. That man looked vaguely familiar, some reason memories from her youth came back to her, though she didn't know why, so she quickly decided to forget about it. She eventually stopped in the hallway and spoke aloud.

"Ah looks like i'm going to be busy again for awhile, sorry but you'll have to wait a little bit longer brother...I hope you are safe."


	2. Chapter 2 - Getting down to business

**Chapter 2: Getting down to** **business**

Not to her surprise, Irelia did not sleep peacefully that night. A shadowy image of her brother plagued her dreams causing her to wake several times that night.

"Irelia?" Karma questioned, breaking Irelia's thoughts as they walked through the institute.

"What...oh...sorry, little bit sleepy. What did you ask?"

"Do you know who is in your group?" Karma asked for the second time. Vessaria and the institute had set in motion a plan to try and root out the cult of corruption, now dubbed as _"The Black Hand"_. Irelia had missed several important things when she decided to excuse herself from the room, only having to be informed of them later in her room by Karma. Several institute mages and champions where to stay in the institute and attempt to monitor void activites with the help of Kassadin. There was another detachment sent to keep watch over the Shadow Isle and activity around it. The rest were split up into squads to investigate areas and people of concern around Runeterra.

"As far as I know it is Quinn, Talon and I." Irelia let out a sigh. "Though i'm not sure why the paired a Noxian and Demacian together, I won't get a good night sleep by the end of this will I?"

"Well, they do have a somewhat similar skill set, maybe it is based on the mission. Also I thought the institute usually placed four to a group." Karma and Irelia stopped outside Irelia's destination.

"Well I guess i'll find out now won't I" Irelia let a smirk slip out as she entered the room. "Wish me luck".

"Good luck." Karma said as the door closed behind Irelia

The room was small with a table in the middle with freshly brewed tea on it. The room was connected to a courtyard that let the morning sun in. Irelia noticed Quinn basking in the sunlight staring at the sky, Valor letting out a screech from above. Irelia scanned the room for Talon, sighing as she sat at the table pouring herself some tea that had been prepared.

"Going to sit in the shadows the whole time Talon, we are somewhat of a team now."

Talon's concentration was broken for a moment when Irelia addressed him, but eventually decided to move from the corner and sit opposite Irelia. "Faster we get this over with, the less time I have to spend with you'all I suppose."

"Glad we are all on the same page then." Quinn said as she entered from the courtyard Valor staring down Talon from his perch on the fountain in the courtyard. The group sat in an awkward silence, but much to Irelia's relief the door opened shortly. Irelia raised an eyebrow as the fourth member entered the room. The tall, dark haired, man Irelia had bumped into the day before bowed before them before introducing himself, he looked of Ionian decent.

"Greetings, my name is Zelos, council guard at the institute, I will be assisting you three in your mission assigned to you by Vessaria."

Irelia let the cup of tea sit at her lips for a brief moment, but continued on, Zelos wasn't exactly an uncommon name for an Ionian, but the sound of her brothers name made her pause in thought.

"Care to explain what our mission is?" Talon interrupted

"He was about to explain if you could keep your mouth shut, did they not teach you patience in Noxian assassin school, should've been the class right after how to stab someone in the back." Quinn giggled at her own joke.

"Listen here girl." Talon's voiced started to rise as Irelia rolled her eyes and took another sip of her tea.

"Girl! You are barely older than me." Quinn's voice cracking at the end making her blush.

Zelos cleared his throat loudly, letting a forced smile spread across his face . "If you two could break up your lovers quarrel for a moment I could explain."

Irelia almost spat out her tea.

* * *

"I was wondering if his name would show up on the persons of interest list." Talon mulled over the information Zelos had given them.

"True, I had heard of some rumours that there were connections between him and Nocturne. It is highly possible that Zed and the Order of the Shadow have some connection to the Black Hand and the corruption." Quinn said

"What about the item that gave Zed his powers in the temple? Is that a potential interest for the institute?" Irelia questioned.

"If it is still located in the temple, the institute has asked us to recover it if possible. Also if a connection to the corruption and the Order of the Shadows is found. We are allowed to use deadly force if confronted" Zelos added.

"As if Talon wouldn't have done that in the first place." Quinn let out

Talon was about to retort, but stopped and just shrugged his shoulders in agreement.

"Have Shen, Kennen and Akali been informed of our mission." Irelia asked Zelos

Zelos paused for a bit. "Our mission has been mentioned to them. I think they knew Zed would pop up as a person of concern in this matter, they knew him best after all."

"Well we are only supposed to scout and recon the Temple of Shadows and avoid confrontation if possible, hopefully we won't have a run in with Zed at all. The only issue is getting to the Temple of Shadows, the Order of the Shadow is using the old Kinkou temple correct."

"That is true." Zelos confirmed

"So we do know where it is, what is the issue then?" Talon questioned

"It is said that during the time of the Kinkou, a person only found their way to the temple if the temple wished to be found. Riddles aside it was very difficult to find, I don't remember the way even though I visited it several times when I was younger. The mist surrounding the path is said to be able to affect the memories of those who pass through it. Only those of the original Kinkou group or those deemed worthy could pass through unaffected. We'll have to ask someone like Shen or Akali." Irelia sighed "Though I do not wish to bring back unwanted memories for them."

"That won't be necessary." Zelos spoke up. "I will be able to lead you there, my father, while not a ninja of the Kinkou order, was a doctor that often visited the temple. The order trusted him and he served there many years before the fall. Our village was not far from the temple and he sometimes brought me along. Once we get to my home village, I should be able to get us to the temple. Also when the order fell to Shadow, the mist surrounding it disappeared, the Order of the Shadow simply relies on the its infamy to scare and keep out unwanted members."

"You seem to know a lot about the Order of the Shadow." Irelia said with a hint of accusation in her voice. The topic of Zed didn't exactly put her in a good mood. Her closest friends had been hurt at the hands of his lust for power.

"I assure you I have no connections to the Order of Shadow, the institute has checked my background extensively before I was assigned as a council guard." Zelos still had his forced smile on his face.

"To remember so much about the temple, pretty good memory for a young boy who only traveled there with his father once and awhile." Irelia pressed on.

Zelos dropped his smile and stared at her with his dark grey eyes. "One does not easily forget the temple, especially when they are present during night the order fell, Shen was not the only person to see their father murdered that night."

Irelia shifted in discomfort in her chair. "Forgive me, I did not know…"

"It is fine, it is only natural for humans to make accusations, even if they do not know the facts." Zelos turned from Irelia before anything else was said. He faced the group and returned to his forced smile. "We know our mission, scout and recon the Temple of the Shadow for connections to the Black Hand and look for the artifact that gave Zed his will head out in two hours, meet me infront of the eastern institute gate."

"Wait what! Why the east gate!" Quinn cried.

Talon let a smirk spread across his face. "Well my dear Demacian friend, do you know where the closest harbor that can get us to Ionian is?"

"Stuff it Talon…" Quinn moped as they all started to exit.

"Where? Where is it? I can't hear you."

"...Noxus" Quinn finally let out

"Exactly! Follow my lead and you won't get gutted by the time we leave the harbor."

Irelia knew Quinn was just a kid, but she didn't take Talon as one to be so immature.

"This is going to be a long trip." Irelia moaned

* * *

 **Reviews are greatly appreciated guys. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3 - A Trip to Noxus

**Chapter 3 - A Trip to Noxus**

The party left around mid-day, the sky matching Irelia's mood quite well, as the gloomy grey clouds formed overhead. It would take around a day and a half to reach Noxus, they had packed light and planned to pick up more supplies upon their arrival in Ionia. They traveled until around midnight when they decided to set up camp in the ruins of an abandoned village. Making a small fire, they prepared a modest meal and set up their beds.

"I will take watch first." Zelos spoke

"I suppose I'll take the second then." Irelia said as she laid down, trying to get some rest before her turn. Zelos simply nodded and took up post on the remnants of the second floor of the building they had camped in. Giving him a good view of his companions and surroundings.

"Kinda depressing honestly, sleeping in these ruins." Quinn mumbled as she laid out her bedroll. "Someone used to live here, almost like sleeping in a tomb."

"What's more depressing is having to sleep so close to a Demacian, I'll probably wake up with a few more crossbow bolts in me then I remember." Talon grumbled

"I'm the one that supposed to be worried about you stabbing me in my sleep." Quinn retorted. "I probably won't even be able to rest properly with you around."

"You should learn to sleep with one eye open."

* * *

Irelia's dreams that night forced her to toss and turn in her sleep, she had been yelling at the faint image of her brothers back before Zelos woke her. Had she been yelling in her sleep again? Even if she had it was her turn to take watch and she was thankful to be awake. Irelia stretched before taking a glance around her, she hoped she hadn't woken anyone with her restless sleep. Irelia rose an eyebrow before shaking her head letting out a defeated sigh. Quinn was sleeping lopsided to her bedroll and had managed to lay a foot across Talon's chest. What was even more impressive is that Talon had not woken up and seemed to sleep quite comfortably.

"Sleep with one eye open aye Talon? ." Irelia mumbled before taking up her post where Zelos had been. She glanced at the sky. "Zelos...how much longer before sunrise?"

Zelos who had been rummaging around his pack for some food turned around and tried to reply to Irelia with mouthful of bread. Irelia simply gave him a look of confusion. Zelos followed up by raising one finger.

"One hour? We were supposed to split up the night by three and a half hours each."

Zelos swallowed before responding this time. "I don't sleep very well anyways, so I figured I'd let you rest, you..uh...seemed tired today." Irelia faced away from Zelos turning slightly red at the memory. They had been only walking for several hours before Irelia noticed the exhaustion setting in from not being able to sleep properly the past nights before the trip. Stumbling, Zelos had caught Irelia as she slipped. Irelia shook the memory away before replying.

"I appreciate the concern, but it won't be good if both of us are sleep deprived."

Zelos brushed the crumbs off his lap before laying down on his bedroll. "True, but I'll survive one or two days with no sleep...I'm used to it."

Irelia decided to drop the conversation before scanning the area. The silence didn't last much longer than a minute.

"You have a brother correct?" Zelos spoke as he lay on his back.

Irelia didn't reply at first, she had a feeling this conversation might come around sooner or later. "More like had one."

"...Did he pass away?"

"Possibly, but if he is still alive, he should've returned by now... if he truly cared about family. Doesn't matter anymore, besides I've already lost count how many years he has been gone."

"Was his name the same as mine...Zelos...I heard you call it out in your sleep."

Irelia cursed under her breath, she had been sleep talking. Irelia wasn't sure what to say, Zelos probably already knew she had a brother with the same name as him, but wanted to try and apologize for any pain the mention of his name may bring her. "Yes, that was his name as well." She replied curtly.

"I am, sorry…"

Irelia let out an audible sigh. There it was, the apology, not that it was his fault his name was the same of her long lost brother, it was a common Ionian name after all. Irelia would've prefered to not have this conversation, she wasn't sure why this random institute guard was prying into her private life. Agitated she replied.

"It's fine, just don't mention it...ever again."

* * *

The trip was fairly smooth the next day and they made good progress. The conversation between the group consisted of Zelos asking Talon for directional advice on getting to Noxus and the occasional taunts between Talon and Quinn. Irelia had surprisingly gotten used to the childish repertoire between the two of them and had even found it humorous on more than one occasion. Once she even let a giggle when Talon had accused Quinn that Valor had decided to do his _'bird business'_ on his shoulder. Quinn had replied that Demacian bird droppings had made an improvement over his current 'Noxian' smell. The laugh came to a surprise to the rest of the company who had assumed Irelia was incapable of laughing. After several shocked stares from her party members Irelia grumpily returned her gaze to the miles of dirt and grass before her.

"We are going to arrive at Noxus after or around sunset correct?" Quinn asked as they approached closer to their destination.

"Most likely yes. We will have to wait until sunrise for the next ship to Ionia." Zelos replied

"Why can't we set sail immediately?" Quinn asked obviously distressed at the idea of staying at night in Noxus.

"I would prefer to rest a night Quinn, even if it is in Noxus." Zelos said, Quinn mumbled something about not being scared, but Zelos ignored it. "Besides it is not easy to just hop on a random ship and sail to Ionia. The institute had to go through a lot to get this ride for us. It's not exactly easy to get a ship crew from Noxus that is willing to go to Ionian borders. As well as getting the Ionian council to agree to not sink a Noxian ship on sight as it enters their borders."

"If you are worried about spending a night in Noxus, rest assured we will be spending it at the Du Couteau manor. Since the General's disappearance Katarina has come to inherit it with her sister. Since Katarina is supporting this joint campaign, she won't mind if we use it."

"She won't be there though...right." Quinn turning white at the idea of spending a night under the same roof as Katarina, who thoroughly scared Quinn.

"No, her group was sent to Freljord to investigate the Frostguard. There is concern with Lissandra and rumours about the Frozen Watchers. So don't worry, she won't be there."

"Ugh, that almost sounded like you were trying to reassure me, which does not fit a Noxian." Quinn said.

Irelia's eyebrows rose as she thought to herself, it was as if Quinn had decided that something was wrong with the conversation when she or Talon spoke more than two words without some form of an insult to one another. Although, Irelia noticed Quinn did seem a lot more calm about the idea of spending the night in Noxus after Talon's so called attempt to reassure her.

The group managed to reach Noxus just as the sun set and with the help of Zelos's status in the institute, Irelia and Quinn managed to enter the gates to Noxus easily, albeit with with several glares of the Noxian guards. They where escorted until the reached a pair of gates that lead to a dark and looming manor. Irelia heard Quinn audibly gulp, before Talon pushed passed her with his arms outstretched.

"Ah, home sweet home." Talon gleamed at the group.

* * *

 **A/N: First off, thanks for the reviews guys, I really appreciate them all. (Good or bad!) To explain; I wrote certain character's personalities the way I did because I felt like it would've been repetitive to give each character the angsty/moody personality. There is nothing wrong with giving a character that personality, especially a League of Legends character, generally the League canon backstory sets up for that type of character after all. I just wanted to try something different, as I felt that it had been done a lot and I wanted to try something different in this story. Anyways I hope you guys can still enjoy the story. Thanks again!**


	4. Chapter 4 A Night in the DuCouteau Manor

**Chapter 4 - A Night in the Du Couteau Manor**

Irelia and Quinn let out an audible sigh of relief when the gates of the manor closed behind them. Stretching and yawning, the group walked to the building as the moon shone above them. They followed Talon into the manor which was surprisingly well lit and warm as a fire roared in the hearth.

Talon looked at the group as they entered the manor, the members seemed to be giving him a 'What now?" look. "There are a few servants on the property that take of the place, I will have them prepare food and while we set up your accommodations, meanwhile you can relax and bath as you wish." Talon Spoke to answer the lost look of his companions. He lead them down hallway as he talked. "There are two rooms that you can use on first floor and another two open ones on the second." He opened one of the doors to a very simple, but elegant room none the less. A large bed with side tables and a dresser and two seats near the large window on the wall that let the moonlight shine into the room, there was a door to a spacious bathroom as well.

"I'll take this one." Irelia said before dropping her meager belongings in the room.

"What about the one across the hall?" Talon questioned.

"I suppose I will." Zelos stated

Talon clapped his hands and turned to face the Demacian scout. "Sounds good, so Quinn that leaves you a room up-"

"What about this one?" Quinn said opening a third door in the hall. Quinn was secretly hoping to have a room close to Irelia. Talon's open palm slammed the door she was about to open. "Hey what's the big deal?"

"That's...Kat's room." Talon looked a little nervous, Quinn simply replied by making an "O" face and decided to accept the room upstairs.

* * *

Irelia let a sigh out as the steam of the bath filled the room. She removed her clothes and gracefully immersed herself in the bath's hot water. The steam from the bath swirled in the air of the room, Irelia watched mesmerized and almost in a trance. Irelia spoke out loud to the air. "You haven't gotten yourself into too much trouble I hope brother, but there must be a reason you haven't comeback. I miss you...Zelos." Her brothers face flashed before her, but there was another face in the back of her mind. The face of a man with short dark black hair and a scar below his eye. Irelia spoke again. "I ran into a man with the same name as you brother." Irelia let out a short laugh before continuing to talk to the imaginary picture of her brother. "He felt bad about having the same name as you, since he knew...that I missed you and hearing his name...your name, makes me hurt. I do miss you brother, do you even remember me? What I look like, what my voice sounds like? I...I can't remember what your voice sounds like. Though I guess it has changed over the years, it has been that long. Please Zelos, brother, come back, I miss you so much, without father, I feel so alone in this world. Please be safe." Her last word hung in the air, the steam had faded and the water had turned lukewarm pulling her back into reality. "Must be crazy, talking to air." With that Irelia finished washing up and dried herself off. She put on her undergarments and pulled on a white tank top, it was a fairly warm night in Noxus so she pulled on a pair of black shorts that, while comfortable, felt a little bit too short for her comfort. Nonetheless, she walked out of the room to get some food, pulling her dark hair in a ponytail. She didn't like her black colored hair very much and had often added blue highlights to change it up, though she noticed her highlights had faded somewhat over the journey. She entered the hallway behind Zelos, who obviously had just finished his bath as well, he was pulling a black t-shirt over his head. Something caught Irelia's eye has he pulled his shirt down over his back.

"Hold on Zelos…"Irelia commanded. Zelos complied and turned his head to look at Irelia with a confused expression on his face. Irelia walked over to Zelos and lifted the shirt off his back and let out a worried breath of air. Zelos's back was covered in several small scars, but in the center of his back was a large scar in the shape of an X. Irelia stared for a little too long so Zelos simply pulled his shirt down again.

"I am...sorry, I did not realize-"

"We all have our scars Irelia, mine just happen to visible." Zelos let out a weak smile. Irelia let her head drop, Zelos started to reach out a hand to comfort her, but decided against it and let his hand drop. "Shall we find something to eat?"

Irelia recomposed herself and nodded and they headed down the hallway. She stole a glance at the man walking beside her. Irelia was not petite and never felt it, in physical build or height. She had a well toned body and stood at a proud five foot ten inches. She was taller than most Ionian man. But standing next to Zelos he seemed much more powerful compared to her. While he was not physically built like Garen or Darius, he was clearly well muscled, the black shirt showed that off a little too well she thought guiltily. Although where he did rival Garen and Darius was in height. He stood at least a good six foot three inches, which was extremely tall for an Ionian, even Shen was only six foot. He had an air about him that inspired awe and strength like a champion. She hated to admit it, but she felt safe around him and her cheeks felt a little flushed as she slyly inched a little closer to him as they walked down the hall. It didn't take long for the pair of them to find the dining room, where warm food had been set and Quinn and Talon sat in complete silence, Quinn with a scowl on her face. Zelos and Irelia turned to Talon, who just shrugged as if saying 'Don't look at me' and hunched over his plate and continued to eat. Zelos leaned closer to Irelia, which made her heart beat just a little bit faster and whispered. "What do you think happened?"

* * *

 _Earlier that night..._

Luckily the window in Quinn's room was quite large and Valor chirped happily as Quinn set out a bowl of water for him as he mounted the window sill.

"Planning on going hunting tonight Valor?" The bird's head bounced in response to Quinn

"Well, have fun, but don't get lost okay, Noxus isn't safe, even for a bird as majestic and strong as you okay?" Valor chirped in response and Quinn giggled as if she knew what the bird was saying, maybe she did.

Quinn pulled out a change of clothes for the night and laid them on the bed. She entered the bathroom and started the water. The bath seemed to relieve all the stress from the travels and she cleaned herself happily. When she was done she drained the bath and started to dry off as she looked around. Quinn realized she had left her clothes on the bed in her room, slightly annoyed, she wrapped herself in a towel and exited the bathroom leaving a trail of water as she walked. She felt a cold draft in her room, but continued over to her bed and reach down to pick up her clothes when she there was a cough. The cough was more of a choking cough which was weird and even weirder when she realized it was not her who had coughed. She looked to her right to see that not only had she forgotten her clothes on the bed, but also shut the door to her room. Talon who had already bathed and changed into simple clothes, had been drinking a cup water as he walked down the hall and was confused by the open door. He was now trying to recover from spitting his water out after seeing the image of the half naked Demacian girl dripping with water who was only covered loosely with a bath towel. Quinn and Talon stood frozen for what seemed like eternity before Talon started to shake his head in disbelief as he leaned over to close the door to the room. Quinn heard him let out something along the lines of "Demacians". Quinn quickly finished drying and clothed herself and opened the door to the room. Talon had just finished wiping up the water he had spilled earlier.

Talon cleared his throat. "Are you ready now? Dinner is ready."

Quinn who was clearly also uncomfortable nodded. "Good, I'm starving...actually on second, let me close the window. Quinn turned on her heels quickly to go back into her room to close the window where Valor had been, but as she took a step she slipped on some of the water that had dripped on the floor after her bath. She let out a gasp of air as she fell back. Luckily she felt a hand catch her arm and another arm wrap around her waist catching her before she hit the floor.

Quinn let her breathing slow down. "...Thanks, Talon."

"Forgetful and clumsy, how do you manage to get by." Talon said as cold as ever, although Quinn was facing away from him so she couldn't see the pink tinge that filled his cheeks.

Quinn broke free of his grasp and straightened up, visibly annoyed. "This is your fault."

"Mine?" He questioned

"Yes, yours! You...make me flustered." And with that Quinn walked past him and left the room, leaving Talon alone confused.

"Wait, what's that supposed to mean?"

* * *

After a filling meal and the table was cleared the group decided to discuss their next course of action.

"We will be able to leave around mid-day for Ionia, our ship should be ready by then, we shouldn't run into any issues with government or military forces from Noxus or Ionia. When we arrive in Ionian we can resupply with food, weapons and the like and head out to my home village, from there we will make our journey to the temple and begin our mission." Zelos finished his overview as the group nodded in agreement.

"So, Zelos." Talon spoke up. "Tell me, you are an institute guard, a council guard at that which means your not a pushover for most. How do you fight, if we get into a confrontation with the enemy I want to know how you fight and if any of us need to worry about you."

Zelos collected his thoughts before responding, Irelia thought it seemed odd, but said nothing. "I would describe my fighting style to be similar to yours Talon, I use shuriken, similar to your knives, but also martial arts, so much like master Lee Sin. So a mix of you and him...I suppose"

Irelia thought Zelos's voice seemed a bit stiff, as if he was making it up as he went, Talon also seemed unimpressed.

"Hmm, I'm not convinced and I'm in no mood to babysit someone weak."

"Do you disagree with the council's choice to put me on this mission Talon?" Zelos's voice seemingly getting frustrated.

"Maybe not, maybe so. How about a spar? If you are standing after two minutes, I'll believe you. No knives or weapons, simply use your martial arts skills you say you have." Talon rose out of his seat and motioned for the group to follow him.

"That puts you at an extreme disadvantage Talon, no shadows to hide in and no knives or blade." Zelos rose out of his seat with the rest of the group as they walked towards the manors courtyard.

"Don't look down on me now Zelos, I may use daggers, but I know how to fight without them as well."

Zelos and Talon stood opposite each other now in the courtyard. Quinn and Irelia watched, both a little worried, from the side. They both knew it would most likely end in Talon's favor. Talon's strength in battle was recognized to all in Valoran and to all those connected to the institute. While Zelos, well Zelos was simply a guard.

 _"A much taller and more muscled guard."_ Irelia thought, but kept it to herself, size wasn't everything in a hand to hand fight.

"Two minutes, i'll be counting" Quinn said "If Zelos is still in good condition at the end of two minutes, Zelos wins." Quinn looked to Irelia.

Irelia simply sighed and cocking her head slightly and spoke. "Begin"

Zelos took his stance as he watched Talon pace before him, waiting for him to strike and strike he did. Talon twisted his whole body bringing his foot crashing down towards Zelos. Zelos took a step back dodging the attack, slightly surprised by Talon's agility. Talon continued his relentless assault. Planting his foot he swung hard with his fist, twisting his waist as he aimed at Zelos. Zelos ducked low and forward, moving into Talon, he grabbed Talon's outstretched fist with both hands and turned his back to Talon. Pulling Talon's arm down Zelos launched Talon through the air attempting to slam Talon on his back over his shoulder. Talon, quick to react, brought his feet down just in time, breaking his fall instead of with his back. Breaking free of Zelos's grasp he twisted quickly, launching another kick at Zelos who blocked it with his own. The two stepped back, Zelos crouched slightly and when on the aggressive this time. Pushing off the ground, he quickly dashed forward launching a roundhouse kick at Talon's head. Talon tried to dodge, but was to a little bit to slow, taking the kick to the shoulder. Talon skidded back, but Zelos quickly followed up, closing the distance once again and landed a hook kick onto Talon's temple which landed him on his back a few feet away.

After a few breaths Zelos managed to talk. "Looks like you won't have to babysit me."


End file.
